The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was established in 1988 to provide policymakers with regular scientific assessments on the current state of knowledge about climate change.” (IPCC - History) The IPCC is a joint body founded and supported by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environmental Program. The IPCC consists of three working groups which together assess the science, impacts, and mitigation strategies of climate change. The two primary challenges they face are the implementation of mitigation and adaptation to impacts. Climate change is driven by carbon, in order to prevent further change, we as a species must decrease the amount of carbon we put into our atmosphere. While this is clear, implementation of these reductions carry complex economic and societal implications. Adaptation covers a diverse set of scenarios as the impacts of climate change are many and complex. The primary function of the IPCC is to consolidate and assess the current state of research, so that it can advise member states and the rest of the United Nations organizations on the most pressing issues and solutions. ​